Rising sewer rates still a factor in Tewksbury race

TEWKSBURY -- The town's sewer-expansion project wrapped up in 2010, but residents are still paying for it, in the form of annual upticks in the rates they pay for water and sewer service.

To some voters, like retiree Claire Bonugli, the rising rates are the biggest issue facing the town. Bonugli said it's a problem she wants to see addressed by the candidates in Saturday's municipal election.

"I just got a bill for $1,300, and that's just for six months," she said. "And the next six months are going to be even higher, since the rates just went up again."

Last month, Town Manager Richard Montuori released his rate recommendations, calling for a 2 percent increase in water and a 6 percent increase in sewer. Sewer and water rates are expected to continue rise as debt service from the expansion projects mount. The debt service will reach its peak in 2021 at more than $4.36 million.

When resident Bonnie DiRocco fills out her ballot, the increases will be on her mind.

"A new perspective could be good for the town," she said. "Not the same old, same old."

Rate hikes are the result of the sewer- and water-line expansion the town first took on in 2001. The project carried a $98 million pricetag, financed through 20-year bonds.

In 2010, sewer rates spiked 30 percent to 75 percent increases of 2010, leading frustrated residents to vote for a shift of half of the town's sewer debt onto the town's property-tax bills instead.

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"There's nothing you can do," DiRocco said. "We're paying for it now."

Although the rising rates are not a new concern, they're playing a key role in the race.

When asked to identify their top priorities in a debate earlier this week, none of the four selectmen candidates in attendance specifically identified reining in water and sewer rates as a main concern. However, each of the six hopefuls has said they want to ease the burden on residents.

Incumbent Selectman Todd Johnson, along with board Chairman David Gay and Vice Chairman Doug Sears, recently met with state legislators to discuss the possibility of Tewksbury receiving more aid through the state's Sewer Rate Relief Fund.

Challenger Jim Wentworth called the burden of taxes and fees in town "uncomfortably high." The small-business owner said the town must build its commercial and residential base to bring in more revenue instead.

Ken Miano, director of the town's youth basketball program, said Tewksbury should focus more on maintain of its public works to avoid overspending on costly projects, like the sewer expansion, in the future.

Malden firefighter Rick Menard said it's unfair for water, sewer and tax bills to increase while working-class residents are still struggling to recoup from a down economy.

Former Board of Health member Mary Ellen Fernald said she wants to be a voice for the elderly and lower what those on a fixed income must pay the town.

Robert Marcin, who has run unsuccessfully for the board in the past, said the soaring rates were what prompted him to enter the fray this time around.

"It's a big strain," he said. "You can use less water, but the bills are still high. In the summer, you have to make a choice if you can water your garden. I live on a cul-de-sac, and no one here ever uses their sprinkler system."

The Board of Selectmen is the only body in town that has a say in water and sewer rates, but the focus has spilled over into other races as well.

Board of Health candidate and political newcomer James Killion said he decided to run in hopes that he could use his excavating experience to oversee the sewer system, so it would be maintained in a way that wouldn't add to the costs.

"I've never been in politics before," Killion told voters at a candidates night last month. "But I can do a lot about the water and sewer."

Killion is running against incumbents Phillip French and Christine Kinnon for two three-year seats on the board.

Raymond Barry and Joseph Knight face off for a two-year Board of Health seat, to fill a term left vacant after Ed Sheehan resigned earlier this year.

Polls are open Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Precincts 1 and 1A vote at the Senior Center, 2 and 2A at the Recreation Center, 3 and 3A at Lowell Assembly of God and 4 and 4A at the Library.

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